Holland's lost industries helped to fuel the city

They manufactured airplanes, candy and furnaces — even leather saddle bags used in the Civil War. And they all have one thing in common: They’re not here anymore. A new Holland Museum exhibit, “Lost Holland,” explores downtown landmarks that have since passed away. But it raises...

By STEPHEN KLOOSTERMAN

Holland Sentinel

By STEPHEN KLOOSTERMAN

Posted Jan. 27, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jan 27, 2013 at 6:16 PM

By STEPHEN KLOOSTERMAN

Posted Jan. 27, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jan 27, 2013 at 6:16 PM

Holland

They manufactured airplanes, candy and furnaces — even leather saddle bags used in the Civil War. And they all have one thing in common: They’re not here anymore.

A new Holland Museum exhibit, “Lost Holland,” explores downtown landmarks that have since passed away. But it raises the question of some big names in business that, over the years, all but ran the local economy — until they themselves quit running. Here are some of the former big players.

The Cappon & Bertsch Leather Company

The business, founded in 1857, sat in the approximate area of the Holland Civic Center on Eighth Street.

Isaac Cappon, Holland’s first mayor, and his business partner from Grand Rapids, John Bertsch, got rich on government contracts, supplying leather saddle bags during the Civil War, according to Holland historian Randy VandeWater. The company became the area’s largest employer, with about 400 workers.

The business later moved to the north side of Lake Macatawa, and stopped manufacturing in the late 1920s or early ’30s, VandeWater said.

Szekely aircraft

An aircraft manufacturer, in Holland? It happened. Szekely — pronounced “Za-kay” — built aircraft engines and even a single-seat sport aircraft called the Flying Dutchman. The company thrived during the barnstorming era of the 1920s before going bankrupt during the Great Depression, according to area historian Robert Swierenga.

Holland Furnace

The Holland Furnace Co. put Holland on the map for decades, selling furnaces across the United States with 30-some distributorships. The company played an active role in promoting the city, too.

“They sponsored Tulip Time, they brought in the movie stars, they built the hotel,” Swierenga said. The hotel, the Warm Friend, was named for a marketing slogan the company used. The building still stands today at the corner of Eighth Street and Central Avenue as a retirement home. The company closed in 1966.

LifeSavers

LifeSavers’ decision to pack up and roll out of Holland in 2003 was big news, but so was its arrival in Holland in 1965 when the newly formed Holland Economic Development Corp. bought land on the south side of the city for the plant.

“It was done by private guys, who bought the land and put in the infrastructure,” Swierenga said. “It shows you the go-getters that we had in Holland.”